The Book of Swords

“People must not be given swords before they’ve learnt how to enjoy life and its movement.” – Confucius

Greetings All,

Awaken to this fact: One of the most dangerous, yet useful items you touch every day is a blade. The same blade can be used for cutting a birthday cake or slitting a throat! (Ok, I’ve been watching too much Game of Thrones, but I’ve made my point!)

On a very practical level, we use blades every day to cut, open, and slice away what is not needed. We use blades to shave, open mail, cut foods, and some even swallow them, or throw them around living targets!

They slice, dice, stab, slash, pierce, poke, carve and cleave, rip and rend, and can even make fancy Julienne potatoes.

Doctors use blades to save lives… psychopaths use them to kill innocent people. We walk the razor’s edge between good and evil. Great skill and judgement are needed to wield this tool that holds such great power to create or destroy.

On an esoteric level, Swords are symbols of discernment, judgement, power, and precision. The Sword is one of the four tools of The Archetypal Magicians, and a symbol for the Element of Air.

“Swords” is one of the four suits of the Tarot. Hammered from steel, in the red-hot fire of the blacksmith’s forge, blades are the weapons of Kings and their Knights.

Magicians use Swords in stage illusions. They use knives for close -up magic, and pins, needles and razor blades are swallowed and regurgitated, and then threaded on string. Magicians tantalize and torture all kinds of materials with blades. No rope, silk, or even piece of paper is safe when near a trickster with shears or blade.

So, it is time to share your love, and share your magic with a sword held high! This year at the Magic and Meaning Conference we are having some serious fun:

We are looking for the VERY best magic effects with Swords. One of you will be crowned in an official ceremony as the
KING or QUEEN of Swords!

The most promising ideas will be selected and put into a special Conference PDF:

The Book of Swords

Please send your submission to us: 500 words or less.
Bring plenty of your ideas to The Magic & Meaning Conference to share, but select the BEST routines or ideas to submit for The Book of Swords, which will be a compilation of ideas, magic effects, and routines that utilize the symbol of Swords, blades, knives or anything “cutting edge.”

Also, please note: this will be the second year in a four-year cycle that explores the Tools of the Magician: The Sword, the Wand, the Cup, and the Shield. Last year was the “Year of the Cup.” This year we will explore the history, mystery, magic, and symbolism of “The Sword.”

1.  Each entry is 500 words maximum. You can send in as many effects as you like, as long as your total is 500 words.  These can be original effects, or a variation or twist on a classic.
2. At this year’s Magic and Meaning Conference, we will have a hands-on workshop exploring magic with swords (or blades, or pens, or feathers)! We will experiment and learn many ways to use these objects in our performances and beyond!
3. You must attend the Conference to be “crowned” King or Queen, but even if you’re not attending, please submit your effect for inclusion in The Book of Swords, because if it is accepted you, too, will receive a copy of this special Conference PDF.
4.  Please send your entries as a Word document to Katherine, our Executive Assistant at Katrettke@gmail.com

“And with my sword I salute you, until that time we should return.”

See you at the Magic and Meaning Conference—our School’s Homecoming Celebration!

If you have not already registered for this year’s Magic and Meaning Conference, this is an excellent time to do so, by going to:
 http://www.magicalwisdom.com/events#602

It is also a perfect time to reserve your discounted hotel room at the Sunset Station Hotel & Casino. The rates for the rooms this year are quite reasonable: $65.00 per night for Wednesday (10/30) and Thursday (10/31), and $95.00 per night for Friday (11/1) and Saturday (11/2). (Please note: those rates are subject to the Clark County room tax, currently at 14%.)

To reserve your room, call the Reservations Department at 888-786-7389 and identify yourself as attending the “Conference 29” group and supply the Group Code of SCICE29.

One final note:  there is still a couple of weeks to submit a proposal to deliver a presentation and/or a performance at the Conference. The details about how to make a proposal can be found at: http://www.magicalwisdom.com/about/call-for-presentations.  Please note: the deadline for all proposals is July 15, 2019.

Yours in “cutting-edge magic events.”

Jeff McBride

WONDERGROUND NEWS - July 2019

7pm – Mo-Jo Music by Richard and Thayer
     Tarot by Eliza

8pm – Comedy and Variety show
     Tim Wise is your Master of Ceremonies
     Tetro and Stacy – Hocus Hoop-us!
     Rick Maisel – Modern Master of Escape
     Jeff Lockett – Makes a Magical Point!
     Jarol Martin – Magic direct from Cuba!
     Jeff McBride – Presents a world premiere- “The Dancing Egg”- (you’ve never seen this!)

9pm – Close-up Show and Strolling Magic
     Will Bradshaw – Your Master of Ceremonies
     Clyde McBride – The Three Magic Wishes
     Jeff Lockett – Close-Up & In Yo- face!
     Jarol Martin – Legerdemain with a Latin Flair
     –more acts to be announced!

The WONDERBAR
     Kent Axell – Magic with your Mind
     Tim Wise – The Magic Castle Bar Show
     Steelfyre – Dice-ee-Deceptions
     –More to be announced!

10pm – Stage Extravaganza
     Jeff McBride – Is your Host
     Jeff McBride with The New World Rhythmatism Dancers – Magic by Candlelight
     Jarol Martin – From Masters of Illusion TV!
     Jeff Lockett – How to win BIG in Las Vegas
     Tetro & Stacy – A Ritual of Enchantment
     Rick Maisel – Death Defying Escape

ALL THE ABOVE PLUS:
Live Music by Richard and Thayer, Tarot by Eliza, Photography by Sheryl Garrett. Bar Magic-Scott Steelfyre & Maggie, Corey Rubino, New World Rhythmatism Belly Dancers, Psychic Sideshow with Morganne– and many more surprises and special celebrity guests.

So, see you at The Magic & Meaning Conference!

It is our Mystery School homecoming; please join us! Take a look and hear what the attendees are saying.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQVo4zsfWZ4)
See you Online or in Vegas at one of our events!

Jeff and Abigail

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